22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

Today’s Gospel shows us Jesus at a banquet, watching how people rush for the seats of honor. He then teaches us: “When you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place… For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

This teaching speaks directly to the human heart and it also speaks to us in a special way this Labor Day weekend. Labor Day is not just about an extra holiday or the end of summer. At its root, it is about the dignity of human work and the men and women who quietly, humbly, and faithfully build up our families, communities, and nation through their daily labor.

Jesus calls us to humility, not just in where we sit at a banquet, but in how we live our lives. Humility means recognizing that every good gift we have - our talents, our skills, our opportunities - comes from God.

Think of the men and women who rise before dawn to go to their jobs. Most of them are not praised or applauded. They drive buses, clean buildings, prepare meals, care for children, tend the sick, build roads, stock shelves. The world rarely calls them “great,” but before God they hold seats of honor.

On Labor Day we honor exactly that kind of quiet humility - ordinary people doing ordinary jobs with extraordinary love.

I recall hearing about a Catholic school where the students noticed the janitor was always there before everyone else, unlocking doors, turning on lights, making sure the classrooms were ready. He never looked for attention. But when he retired, the teachers and students filled the gym to thank him. One of the children said, “He taught us more about Jesus than anyone, because he served without complaining.”

That is the humility Jesus speaks of today. The janitor didn’t sit at the head table of life, but at God’s banquet, he surely has a seat of honor.

Jesus goes further: “When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.” This is not just about banquets - it is about how we use our work, our resources, and our lives.

Labor is not just for making money. It is for lifting others up. A teacher does not just earn a paycheck; she shapes souls. A nurse does not just fulfill hours; she brings healing and comfort. A construction worker does not just lay bricks; he builds shelter for families.

And when we extend our work to help those who cannot repay us - mentoring a struggling young person, feeding the hungry, visiting the lonely - then our labor becomes holy.

Saint Sister Teresa of Calcutta understood this. She once said, “We are not called to do great things, but small things with great love.” She cleaned wounds, held dying hands, taught little children. To the world, these were “lowly tasks,” but in the Kingdom of God, they were seats of honor.

Isn’t that what Labor Day reminds us? That all honest work, done with love, is sacred. There is no such thing as “lowly” work - only work offered humbly to God.

So what does this mean for us today?

• At work: humility means doing our best not just for recognition, but because it serves others. It means respecting co-workers, even the ones we don’t get along with.
• At home: humility means serving our families through countless unseen tasks - laundry, meals, repairs, cleaning - without always expecting thanks.
• In our parish and community: humility means using our talents not for prestige, but to build up the Body of Christ, especially for the weak, the lonely, and the poor.

On Labor Day, we are invited to see our work -whether it is teaching, care-giving, parenting, building, or even the hidden sacrifices of illness and old age - as a participation in God’s work of creation and redemption.

And we look to Jesus as our model. He spent most of His earthly life not preaching, but working - swinging a hammer, planing wood, sweating in Joseph’s carpentry shop. God Himself chose to be known as a “worker.”

And at the end, Jesus humbled Himself to the lowest place of all, the Cross. It was there, in what looked like defeat, that He was most exalted.

This Labor Day weekend, as we rest from our labors, let us remember the lesson of today’s Gospel:

• In the world’s eyes, greatness is about climbing higher. In God’s eyes, greatness is about choosing the lower seat.
• In the world’s eyes, work is about money and recognition. In God’s eyes, work is about service and love.
• In the world’s eyes, we should invite those who can repay us. In God’s eyes, we are blessed when we serve those who cannot.

So let us celebrate this Labor Day not just with rest, but with gratitude - for the dignity of work, for the humble workers among us, and above all for Christ, who teaches us that whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Amen.